It was a feel-good story while it lasted. Carlos Quentin, the man known as CQ, had gone from being a role player with the Diamondbacks to being an AL MVP candidate. That all changed Monday when, in a fit of frustration, the American League home run leader's season might well have come to an end by his own hand, or more precisely, his own wrist.

Quentin fouled off a pitch Monday and got upset with himself. Says Quentin: "[It's] something I've done thousands of times since I was a kid. A little frustrated. I had the bat in my left hand and I just kind of hit down on the bat head with my right hand with a closed fist. I kind of hit a little bit low, nicked my wrist and finished the at-bat. Forty minutes later, I started feeling something in my wrist. I woke up the next morning and that was that. Something I've done a lot, and unfortunately it hit the bone perfectly. Not a good spot."

Now the White Sox might not be in such a good spot. As late as Thursday, it was thought that Quentin simply had a bruised forearm and might be back as early as this weekend. An MRI on Friday cleared things up, and not for the better. Quentin has a fractured wrist and will undergo surgery that requires a screw to be inserted. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks, meaning in all probability, CQ's season is over. Quentin said he was assured this approach would not have any long-range consequences for his wrist, which is good news for 2009 and beyond. However, if Quentin is truly as invaluable as his teammates say, things could get rocky from here on out for the White Sox.

"If not for him, we're probably 5-10 games out. That's about the only thing I could say that sums it up," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said. "We have enough to win this division and get in the playoffs. It definitely would be a lot easier with him."

Unfortunately, Quentin isn't the only piece that will be missing. Apparently, Joe Crede might be done for the season as well. Crede had back surgery last year, and the tightness in his back has returned with a vengeance. "Joe is not going to be with us, and I don't expect him back this season," manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters. "He was playing with a lot of pain. We could see the way he was moving. He couldn't take it anymore."

So far so good in his stead, though: Juan Uribe hit two home runs Friday, and Konerko added another, as the team dealt the Angels a 10-2 defeat. But that's just one night. With the Twins breathing down Chicago's neck and a wild-card spot likely out of the question, CQ's rash action might well have cost his team a shot at the postseason. And yet it also likely legitimizes the MVP buzz. If the White Sox do collapse down the stretch, we'll know for sure that Quentin was worthy of being named the league's most valuable player.

Of course, for both his teammates and fantasy owners, that will be very small consolation for all those lost September stats because of one brief moment in which CQ lost his head.

In a week that saw the new "Beverly Hills 90210" debut, why wouldn't we expect a standout performance from a guy named Brandon? After exactly 100 relief appearances, Brandon Morrow came within four outs of a no-hitter. Wilson Betemit disappointed the home fans with a two-out double in the eighth inning. Morrow would have been only the second pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first major league start. CC Sabathia didn't win, but he didn't lose either, remaining unbeaten in his 12 Milwaukee starts. He struck out nine hitters and allowed only one run over seven innings, and the Brew Crew ended up beating San Diego in 11 innings thanks to an RBI single from J.J. Hardy, who had been hitless before the winning at-bat. Braden Looper threw four-hit ball into the eighth inning, but Chris Perez blew the save. It was the Cardinals' 30th blown save, a major league high. Florida ended up winning in 11 innings. Francisco Liriano is now 5-0 since his return to the Twins. He pitched into the eighth inning, with two solo shots from Marcus Thames being the only damage he allowed. Andre Ethier went 5-for-5 and drove in five runs. That was three more hits than Derek Lowe allowed in his eight innings of pitching against the Diamondbacks. Lowe is now 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA in his past six starts, and the Dodgers find themselves only a half-game behind the D-backs in the NL West. Don't be fooled into thinking Oakland hitters have emerged from their slump. The A's did score eight runs in the eighth inning -- an amazing feat, considering they had scored six runs or fewer in each of their past 40 games -- but more amazingly, they did it all on only one hit, a grand slam by Rajai Davis, after Oriole pitchers walked in four runs and hit a batter with the bases loaded. Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay allowed only one earned run and struck out seven to win his 18th game of the season. Halladay is 10-3 in his past 13 starts. Brett Myers came back from the dead when he came back from the minors. Myers is now 6-1 with a 1.55 ERA in his nine starts since a quick trip to Triple-A. The Phillies shut out the Mets, 3-0, and closed the gap in the NL East to two games. Atlanta rookie Brandon Jones had a three-run double, and Kelly Johnson had three hits and two RBIs, as the Braves' bats continue to impress late in the season. Zach Duke of the Pirates pitched a six-hitter against the Giants to end a personal nine-game losing streak. Duke, now 5-13, avoided getting one step closer to Jose DeLeon's team record (11 losses in a row) for futility.

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Standing Out

B. GILES BANDBrian Giles, Padres
Giles' road show continued Friday. He went 4-for-6 against the Brewers, including a game-tying homer in the eighth inning, and is now hitting a nifty .312 away from Petco Park. He's having a fine season at age 37.

HAREN, AIR OUTDan Haren, Diamondbacks
In Oakland, Haren became known for his great first halves and subpar second halves. Well, he's falling apart with Arizona, too. He was bombed by the Dodgers and has allowed 10 earned runs in his past 10 innings. He also has a 6.19 ERA in his past six starts.

News and Notes

Be sure to check the weather forecasts for games on the East Coast. Rain might play havoc with Saturday's schedule. Dodgers manager Joe Torre says he's changing his rotation so that Clayton Kershaw, instead of scheduled starter Greg Maddux, will get the nod Sunday against Arizona and Randy Johnson. I think that might be what we call a "show of confidence." Rays third baseman Evan Longoria will take 20 to 40 swings Saturday. The team says it wants him to take two or three days of regular batting practice before activating him from the disabled list. Teammate Carl Crawford's outlook isn't as rosy. He is currently visiting a doctor to get his finger examined, and he won't rejoin the team until at least Sept. 15. Rich Harden threw without incident Friday. He will skip Sunday's start but might take the hill Wednesday in St. Louis. Fellow Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano hopes to play catch Sunday and is targeting next weekend against Houston for his return. Billy Wagner threw another successful bullpen session, and the Mets would like their closer back ASAP. However, Wagner thinks he might want to wait another week. The Royals' Alex Gordon took ground balls before Friday's game but didn't throw or swing a bat. No reason to expect a return this year for the disappointing youngster. Carlos Guillen did not make the trip to Minnesota with the Tigers. That kind of makes it difficult to get in the lineup, don't you think? The Angels' "hamstrung" hitters, Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar, are both scheduled to take batting practice Saturday and run the bases Monday. We'll update their progress after that. Aubrey Huff missed Friday's Orioles game to be with his wife, who gave birth to a boy on Thursday.

They Wrote It

"The Carlos Delgado story is another reason I love baseball so much. Earlier in the year, a scout told me Delgado couldn't hit anything above his belt with any sort of velocity on it. And it appeared he was done as a big-time power hitter in the major leagues. But since June 27, he's had the most RBIs (61) in the National League. He has gone from a player who was in big trouble as far as his career goes to being at least on the periphery of the MVP voting. This can happen only in baseball. I've said this a million times: You get really good and really bad awfully fast in baseball. So many times, I ask players, 'Why are you so good?' or 'What happened to you?' And sometimes they don't even have a good reason."

• Boston activated Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the disabled list Friday, and immediately the duo produced results. Beckett started against the Rangers and struck out four of the first eight batters he faced on his way to five scoreless innings and an 8-1 victory. Lowell hit a home run in his first at-bat since August 12, and went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on the night. Sean Casey also was activated from the DL but didn't play.

• Minnesota released infielder Mike Lamb, and the Milwaukee Brewers snatched him up, designating Lou Palmisano for assignment. Lamb won't be eligible for the playoffs but could eat into potential at-bats for prospect Mat Gamel.

On the Farm

• Double-A Akron took the lead in its Eastern League playoff series thanks to a grand slam from a rehabbing Travis Hafner. While the man they call Pronk was happy to help, his focus is on his shoulder. "It's gotten better," he said. "The first game it would tire out after the first at-bat. Now I'm getting though three at-bats where I feel strong. But I need to get through three, four, five at-bats feeling that way."

• Remember the hype around the signing of Kei Igawa? Maybe not, but the Japanese import was just named the Yankees' Pitcher of the Year. He collected his 15th win for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre -- the southpaw's third of the season over rival Pawtucket -- in the opening round of the Governors' Cup playoffs.